A Moment Lost
by The Bavarian
Summary: It is said that hindsight is 20/20; one does not know how perfect or how vital a moment might be until it is lost forever. We may say or do things we later regret. Some mistakes are trivial, but others may affect those around us more than we know. Po makes such a mistake, but isn't willing to accept that his one moment to share the truth might be gone forever.
1. Revelation

**Hello everyone. I'm here today with my first actual story; this one is inspired by a mistake I made a while back that I will never let myself live down.**

**Hope you like this first chapter, I will get more out as soon as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

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**Chapter 1: Revelation**

The day was clear, the sun wrapped the Valley of Peace in warmth, and birds chirped and sang, oblivious to the world below them as they soared through the open sky. The doors of the Jade Palace swung shut behind six masters as they began to descend the Thousand Steps. All of the masters barked in laughter and conversation, reflecting the hospitality of the weather that surrounded them. All of the masters, that is, except for the tiger.

Tigress was deep in thought, hanging slightly behind the rest, going over the events of their previous assignment in Gongmen City, from which they had returned a few days ago. She was also contemplating what to do with a week's worth of free time given to her and the rest of the masters by Master Shifu; she had wanted to train, of course, but the red panda made it clear that they were to take a break. After much debate, the group had decided to spend their vacation at a peaceful hot spring outside the Valley.

A small bird swooped by, coming daringly close to the tiger's face, snapping her out of her thoughts. She stood still for a moment, blinking, before remembering what she was doing, and proceeded down the steps to the village alongside the rest of the masters of the Jade Palace. She glanced around at her fellow masters; Po stood at the front and center of the group, with Monkey and Crane flanking him on either side. Mantis sat on the panda's shoulder, while Viper hung back behind Crane. The monotony of descending the many steps lulled her back into a trance.

"…oh yeah? Let's see what Tigress has to say!"

She perked up at the mention of her name, meeting the eyes of the panda in front of her. Po continued as soon as their eyes made contact.

"Monkey here doesn't think I can bench as much as you," the panda smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"He's probably right." Tigress smirked back as the panda scoffed.

"Oh, please, with these-" He was about to flex his arm muscles when he tripped forwards and tumbled down a few steps, landing on his face with an "Oof!"

The group passed him by, smirking and shaking their heads. Viper slid in front of him as he got back to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Is this how you always act around girls?" Viper teased him and giggled.

"What? Pfft, no…" he rolled his eyes before they landed on Tigress'; he blushed a little and smiled awkwardly. He knew what she was talking about, and immediately looked for an out.

"Oh, hey, Crane…!" He pretended to have something urgent to say as he ran down after the avian and the rest of the males, while the two females hung behind. Viper looked up to the tiger with a sly smile on her face and winked.

Tigress just blinked. Unlike Po, she had no idea what Viper was talking about. Her face scrunched a bit as she tried to decipher the hidden meaning she was obviously missing. _Act around girls? What's she getting at? Po has been around girls plenty, I don't get it…_

At first, Viper took the face Tigress was giving her as mere annoyance with the meaning behind her words, but deadpanned when she realized it was instead a look of befuddlement.

"Tigress, isn't it obvious?" the snake said in a hushed tone, making sure the others didn't hear her.

"What? What are you-"

"Po always acts _differently_ around you," she giggled, partially at the prospect of Po having feelings for the tiger and partially at said tiger's confusion. "I think he _likes _you!"

"Of course he likes me, he's been trying to get my autograph ever since he came-" she stopped just as they were reaching the bottom of the stairs, realizing what the snake was saying. Anger began to well up inside her as she clenched her fists; Viper took this as her cue to leave, but not without a giggle and another wink.

Tigress let out a low growl, peering into the village from the bottom of the steps as Viper caught up to the group. She saw Po giving his father a quick hug.

Then she felt different.

Something about that hug made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Perhaps it was the fact that she now knew what being hugged felt like. Before Po had embraced her in the harbor, she had never known anything more intrusive, more suffocating, or more…comforting, than the feeling of his arms around her body.

By then, Po had noticed her staring at him and met her eyes. He beckoned to her, mouthing the words 'come on' before turning back towards the group and continuing out of the village, now with a travel pack he had received from the goose.

Her legs moved her forward, though she wasn't consciously aware of it. She was too focused on the memory of the hug. When it had happened, she felt a sort of spark beneath her heart, like the walls built around it had been penetrated. She didn't know if this was due to the hug itself or the panda hugging her; either way, it was a sign of affection and she couldn't deny that. Viper was right, the panda was definitely a different person around her, but up until now she hadn't really thought of why; nor had she thought of how he made her feel.

She briefly pondered the thought. The warm feeling in her stomach was back, even stronger now. But it was soon replaced by a shudder. _What the hell am I thinking about?_

She shook the thought out of her head, forced herself back to her previous thoughts, and picked up her pace to catch up with the rest of the group, though the odd feeling she had just experienced never truly faded.

* * *

The group stopped for lunch just as the sun reached the top of the sky. Po began to prepare noodles with the supplies from his pack, cracking jokes and being irritating as usual. Tigress had given up trying to meditate a while ago and instead sat with the rest of the group waiting for the food to be ready.

"Guys, check out this one…" The panda set down the ladle he was holding and turned to the group. He hunched over and rubbed his hands together with an evil cackle. "Hah-hah-hahh! I am Lord Shen and I will destroy Kung Fu!"

His comically exaggerated imitation of Shen's voice had the group howling in laughter before they went silent; a strange new sound fell upon their ears.

Tigress was giggling, bordering on laughing as she sat at the back of the group. No one had ever heard her so much as snicker before. The rest of the group exchanged glances of bewilderment. She stopped as soon as she noticed everyone else was silent, regaining her composure and looking up at them through wide eyes.

"…that was…funny." She sat up straight and cleared her throat nervously.

"That…was…AWESOME!" Po spun around in a jig resembling a victory dance. "I got Master _Tigress_ to laugh! Woooooo! There is _nothing_ the Dragon Warrior can't do! Just like that one time…"

The masters turned their attention back to Po as he continued to prepare the food, already onto another topic. At first Tigress was annoyed, but her grimace soon melted away and a smile snuck onto her face. By now she found his behavior more endearing than anything. She thought back to all the times he had pissed her off or done something stupid, suddenly seeing the memories in a new light and chuckling inwardly.

"Alright, here it is! Lunch is served." The panda beckoned each master up to the pot that sat over the fire, dishing up the noodles he had just prepared. One by one, he filled each of their bowls to the brim with his father's Secret Ingredient Soup.

Tigress went up last, thanking him as he began to fill her bowl. Their eyes connected, and he nodded. But their eyes didn't break contact. She gazed thoughtfully back into his eyes, and noticed that he was looking at her curiously. Normally she would have looked away by now, but something about the look he was giving her kept her eyes glued to his. A small smile began to creep across his face as he continued to pour soup into her bowl without looking.

She didn't know what to say or what to do; all she could do was look back at him, seemingly unable to break away. That is, until she felt a burning sensation on her paws.

She shot her glance down to the source of the pain and saw that her bowl was overflowing with soup as Po continued to pour, the hot broth spilling over the brim and onto her paws. She instinctively let go of the bowl, letting it fall to the ground and explode into tiny shards, the soup going everywhere. She waved her hands around in an attempt to shake the burning liquid off.

"Ahh! Ohmygosh, I'm _soo_ sorry!" Po freaked out, dropping the ladle back into the pot and grabbing her hands in his. "Are you okay?" His distressed eyes fell from hers to the paws he was holding, inspecting the damage.

"Po, it's fine, only a little got on my hands. I can barely feel it," she explained, pulling her paws back and inspecting them herself.

"Are you sure…?" Po was still not convinced. It was obvious he was worried for her, but she wasn't sure how to respond to such worry; not even her adoptive father had shown so much concern for her safety, especially over something so trivial.

"Yes. Just try to be less of an idiot next time," she scolded; the panda looked somewhat hurt by her words until her lips curled up into a smirk, assuring him that she wasn't angry.

He spun around and fetched a new bowl, filling it much more carefully this time before handing it to the tiger and scratching the back of his head. She took it, smiling and shaking her head as she found a seat next to the rest of the masters who were all sitting in a circle out in the field beside the road. Po quickly cleaned up the mess the bowl had made before dishing up his own lunch and joining them.

Monkey was busy telling a story of the trouble his brother and him used to get into as the group ate, but Tigress wasn't listening. She rubbed her thumbs over the spots where the burning hot broth had landed, not feeling a thing.

Yet it wasn't because of her training or her discipline that she couldn't feel the pain. When the liquid had first made contact, it hurt like hell; she wouldn't have dropped the bowl otherwise. But as soon as he had taken her paws in his, the pain was…gone.

She had felt safe, secure, much like she had while he held her hand as she lay adrift in the harbor, and later when he hugged her. The fuzzy feeling was back, this time in her paws, where they had made contact with his.

She wasn't quite sure how all of this made her feel; all she knew was that she couldn't ignore it any longer.

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**Thanks for reading, and like I said, chapter 2 will be out shortly. See you then!**


	2. Confirmation

**Here is chapter 2. Hope you guys enjoy it, more will be on the way soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

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**Chapter 2: Confirmation**

The masters, after breaking camp, were now back on the road out of the Valley. An hour or so had passed since lunch; everyone was stuffed, and as such the masters preferred to let their food settle rather than carry on conversation. Besides the occasional remark or comment, the trip was mostly silent.

Po fell behind the rest once again. The large travel pack on his back began to weigh down on him more and more. He began to pant before hunching over and resting his arm on his knee.

"Hey…*pant*…guys…*pant*…can we…*pant*…slow down a bit?" The group turned to face him and let out a collective sigh.

"We all want to get to the springs as soon as possible," Viper replied, speaking for the group.

"But what's the rush? We have…*pant*…an entire week…"

"You can rest when we get there. None of us are big enough to carry the pack, or we would help. Just man up and stay strong…or are you _not_ a man?" Viper teased; that got the panda standing up straight.

"What? Of course I am!" Po caught up to the group as they continued; he actually passed them by, blushing a little as he walked by Tigress, who had an amused smirk plastered on her face. He was now setting the pace for the group, leading them by about ten feet.

Po made sure to stand as tall as he could and show no signs of fatigue; he could feel the tiger's eyes on him as if they were physically burrowing into his back.

He didn't quite know how or when he began to feel so strange around her; what he did know was that the feeling had gotten stronger, much stronger after their last mission in Gongmen City. The hug she had given him in the jail had shocked him; for a moment, he contemplated staying behind as she wanted. The person he admired most in his life had just shown that she cared for his safety more than her own, and he wasn't about to throw that away by doing something stupid and getting killed. But at the same time he _had_ to find Shen, he _had_ to find the truth about what happened to his parents…

It occurred to him that he hadn't really set aside any time to think over this development. He decided now would be as good a time as any; no one else was willing to talk right now anyway. He looked down towards his feet, watching them as they marched down the stone road. He began to ponder his feelings.

He thought back to his first night at the palace. The masters had shown utter disdain for him, each in their own way – excepting Viper, she had always been kind to him – but Tigress was the most direct in her resentment. This hurt the panda deeply; his idol, the Kung Fu master he had always dreamt of meeting and fighting alongside, had just told him to screw off.

But that pain soon turned into determination. It was as if she was presenting him with a challenge, one that he knew he would overcome, or die trying. She was challenging him to break through to her, to open her up to the world: to laugh, to cry, to release her from the emotional cage she had locked herself into so long ago.

He had begun to spend more time around her whenever possible; during training, meal times, on assignments, and any other occasion that presented itself. Obviously at first she was none too amused by his presence, but after a while she had resigned to tolerating him and his antics. He knew he was making progress, and he wasn't about to stop there.

As time went on, he began to seek her company more in private: he would ask to spar with her during training, sit with her during meditation, play board games with her in their free time, and so on.

He looked up from the road, feeling the same warm feeling in his stomach he had recently grown accustomed to whenever he thought of her. He realized it was then that he had begun to feel this way for her; the moment he began to spend more time in private with her was the first time he noticed the fuzzy feeling in his abdomen. It was then that the mere thought of her face sent tingles throughout his body, and when her voice would make his heart jump and beat furiously.

He had never felt this way before about anyone, and he knew that he needed to talk about it to someone. Except Tigress, of course; there was no way he would be able to approach her about it, and he doubted she would understand. Master Shifu was a day's walk in the other direction, leaving only four other choices, two of them immature males that would most likely not take his feelings seriously, and one male that would probably just scoff at him. He sighed heavily. _I guess that means Viper…_

The fact that she already knew about his feelings for the tiger master made him nervous. She always had a way of reading the unreadable; all those years with Tigress must have been good practice. He was afraid of admitting it to her, though; afraid of the humiliation and judgment he might face…

But there was no other choice. If there was one person in China that could help him with his emotional dilemma, it was Viper, and he wasn't willing to wait much longer to solve it.

He sighed again, picking up the pace even faster, eager to reach his destination to get this all sorted out.

* * *

The group reached the hot springs just as the sun was setting, the brilliant orange streaks of the waning sunlight reflecting off of the water as it bubbled and steamed. The group was exhausted from travelling, Po more so than the rest. He groaned the last few steps, letting the pack fall off of his shoulders into a heap before falling to the ground himself.

"C'mon, Po! Let's go!" Monkey said excitedly, already stripping down to his underwear to dive into the springs. The rest of the masters were doing likewise.

"Ugh…you guys go ahead, I'm gonna rest for a moment and then start dinner…" Po replied, sighing and still panting slightly.

Monkey shrugged and took off, diving head first into the water, surfacing with a splash.

"Woohoo! It's so warm! Guys, you gotta feel this!" The primate sat against the side of the spring, relaxing as the rest began to test the water.

Po got to his feet with a grunt and cracked his neck, turning to the bag of supplies and setting up for dinner. He was about to go look for wood for the fire when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned to Tigress, who was standing in front of him with a smile on her face. Seeing her in her underwear made his cheeks go red.

"Thank you," she began, "for doing all of this for us…"

"Um…sure, no problem… but don't I always cook for you guys?" Po responded, somewhat confused as to why she was thanking him on this particular occasion. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes focused on hers and not letting them drift to the rest of her body, which was much more exposed than usual.

"Yes, but we never thank you for it…" she looked away from his eyes towards the ground, feeling guilty, before turning them towards the springs and the rest of the masters who were relaxing within it. "I would've expected you to jump right in there first thing, without a second thought…instead, you're working, making sure we have something to eat…"

"Eh, don't worry about it…" he waved it off and backed away from her, smiling awkwardly as he moved towards a thicket by the side of the road to look for wood. She just smiled and nodded, then turned to join the rest of the masters.

The panda began to pick through the brush, looking for wood to start a fire, thinking about the tiger's words. While he did enjoy cooking and feeling responsible for the group in some way, the real reason he hadn't hopped right in was because of Tigress. He wasn't too keen on being almost naked with her likewise; he was afraid he would mess up or do something stupid in front of her.

He grabbed as many sticks and twigs as he could find and brought them back with him, digging a small pit, filling it with the twigs and lining it with some stones he had found. He removed the flint from the pack and started the fire, grabbing the pot and heading over to the spring to fill it. The water was already decently warm, so it wouldn't take long to heat it up to the boiling point.

He approached the springs and filled the pot, overhearing one of Crane's bad jokes and the subsequent splash of water to his face delivered by Monkey in disapproval. The rest of the masters snickered.

Back at the fire, Po began to stretch noodles while looking back over to the springs. He knew he would have to join them sooner or later, that was what they came here for; he just preferred to put it off for as long as possible.

After most of the work was done and the noodles were almost finished, Po lay back on the ground and gazed up at the thousands of stars above. Nightfall had snuck up on him; he hadn't realized it was dark until he had finished stretching the noodles. His eyes wandered across the sky, eventually falling on the near-full moon that shone brightly, illuminating the landscape.

He sat up, testing the noodles one last time, and decided that they were done.

"Dinner's ready!" he called out to the masters, each of them jumping out of the springs and shaking off, hungry and eager to eat.

* * *

Dinner was over, the masters were stuffed once more and the fire was beginning to die down. All of the males except for the panda had returned to the springs, carrying on idle conversation as they reveled in the warmth of the spring and basked in the moonlight. Viper and Tigress had stayed behind to help Po clean up, for which he thanked them.

As soon as they were done, Po stretched back and yawned.

"I think I'm gonna call it a day. 'Night, guys-"

"Oh no you don't!" Tigress grabbed Po's arm and twisted it behind his back playfully. "You're going to join us."

"What? But, wait, no, I-" the panda protested as he was led over to the spring and thrown in by the tiger. The splash he made as he hit the water drenched everyone in it; the three other males glared at the tiger. The panda surfaced, spitting out water that had entered his mouth.

"_Tigress!"_ he complained. Tigress just smirked and looked back at Viper who had followed her, before feeling a wave of hot water splash over her. She glared back at the panda.

"Oh, _it's on…_" She dove into the water after Po, tackling him and shoving him under. He flipped backwards underwater, kicking her off of him and resurfacing.

Both masters' eyes connected, narrowing as they raised their arms in mock Kung Fu stances, before breaking out in an epic…splash fight.

Viper slipped into the water with the other masters, who were frozen in place, dumbfounded at the sight before them: Po and Tigress, splashing each other and giggling childishly. The snake just smiled, until one of their splashes hit her square in the face.

"Hey!" She complained, winding up and splashing them back, accidentally hitting Mantis as well. A chain reaction of splashes eventually involved the entire group in the fight, the masters laughing and splashing at each other playfully as if they were all children again.

As the night dragged on and the fight eventually died down, the masters decided it was time for bed. Heading back to the camp, Po pulled out their mats as they dried off around the fire. Everyone was too exhausted to hold a conversation; they were content with enjoying the warmth of the fire as the last bit of their night before sleep passed them by.

* * *

Po's eyes opened to the sunlight and he sat up on his portable mat, cracking his neck and stretching with a yawn. He looked around the circle, seeing the rest of the group was still asleep, except for Viper. The snake was busy rolling up her mat and hadn't yet noticed he was awake.

He felt his stomach clench up, remembering what he wanted to talk to her about. He sighed inwardly. _Well, I guess now is as good a time as any…might as well get this over with…_

"Hey, Viper?" he called to her, the snake jumping slightly before dropping her mat and turning to face him.

"Oh, hey, Po. I didn't see you wake up," she explained, slithering up to him. "What do you need?"

"I was…wondering, could we maybe…talk…about something?" Po twiddled his thumbs, anxiety apparent in his voice, as he got to his feet.

"Sure. About what?"

"Oh, um…I was actually hoping we could talk somewhere more…private…"

The snake cocked her head slightly and looked back at him curiously.

"Alright…" she replied, somewhat suspiciously, as she slithered after him.

Po led her to the thicket from which he had collected the wood from the night before. It was a good distance away from the rest of the masters and hid them well. Po was visibly nervous, his body fidgeting and his eyes darting all over the place. Viper spoke first.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I…" Po stopped his fidgeting; he now stood completely still and looked her in the eye. "I've been…feeling weird lately, and I know that you're the one to talk to when it comes to…emotions, and all…"

"How so?" Viper could tell where this was going, but she decided to play along just in case.

"Well, you see…lately I've had this feeling…inside…that's like, warm, and cozy…but it's also sorta…shivery…?" He stood up and turned around, starting to pace back and forth. "I don't know what this feeling is, and it's really been bothering me…"

"I see…" Viper was now sure of what he was speaking of. "…And does this feeling only come to you when you're around a certain person?"

Po stopped his pacing and began to twiddle his thumbs again.

"Uhh…y-yeah…maybe…" he bit his lip and gulped. "It's like, whenever I'm around…her…I feel so focused, so alive…but also like I can't breathe…"

"I think _someone_ is in love," Viper teased, smirking a little. When the panda turned around apprehensively, she decided to go in for the kill. "Might I ask _who_ makes you feel this way?"

"Oh, _c'mon_ Viper…" Po deadpanned. "Don't gimme that…there are only _two girls_ at the palace, and if it was you, we wouldn't be speaking right now…"

Viper just giggled. She knew he was right, there was no way Po would have the guts to speak about his feelings without some help first.

"Have you told her how you feel?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Are you kiddin' me? I can barely _talk _to her anymore, much less tell her that I…_love_…her…" Po let out a shaky sigh and turned back to the snake. "That's why I went to you…I don't know _how_ to tell her…or if I even _can_…"

"Oh, Po…" the snake made her way to his side and held his paw with her tail. "It's okay, just give it some time…" she consoled, looking up at him with a comforting smile, which he returned. "You'll know when the time is right. I know you can do it."

"Thanks, Viper."

"Of course, brother. Any time." She nodded and slithered back towards the camp, leaving the panda alone amongst the brush.

He sighed again, this time in relief, glad that someone else besides him now knew how he felt; talking it over had really helped calm his mind. He hoped she was right, that he would know the right time to share his feelings and that when that moment presented itself he would be able to follow through.

Only time would tell.

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**Hope you guys liked it, leave some feedback if you find anything that I can fix or improve on, and thanks for reading! More will be out shortly.**


	3. Reflection and Affection

**Chapter 3 is here. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

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**Chapter 3: Reflection and Affection**

Tigress opened her eyes, rubbing them as she sat up on her mat, the familiar scent of Po's noodles hanging in the air. Looking around the circle, she saw that Mantis, Crane, and Monkey were still asleep, not seeing Viper anywhere. She looked over to the panda, surprised to see that he was not only up before her but also preparing breakfast in full swing. She watched as the panda hummed contently, moving around his makeshift kitchen gracefully, throwing food every which way almost as if he were dancing.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought over the night before. The massive splash fight the group had gotten into was probably the most fun she had had since she was a child. She wondered how such a ludicrous game could bring her so much happiness; thinking back over her life so far, she realized how dull and monotonous it had really been.

But that all changed when the panda had arrived at the Jade Palace on that fateful day. She remembered the rage she felt, the feeling of being cheated out of all her hard work; how harshly she treated him, not even willing to give him a chance to prove himself, now feeling a pang of guilt and regret fire through her. It wasn't until after he had defeated Tai Lung that she even took him seriously, much less tolerated his presence.

Yet the panda had brought something the palace was in dire need of. What _she _was in dire need of. _Emotion._ He had single-handedly brought the palace to life, breaking down the walls between the masters and showing them all that there was more to life than just Kung Fu; that it was okay to rest every once in a while, to sit back and take in all that life had to offer. For this, she was grateful.

However, she was also somewhat concerned. If she was now willing to partake in such stupid activities, how long would it be before she stooped to his level of general laziness? His discipline had improved, there was no doubt about that, but at his core he was still the lethargic, fun-loving panda he had always been. If his attitude towards training continued to spread to each of the other masters, including her, would they all soon be alongside the panda, moaning every morning when the time to train came?

No, of course not. She loved training, and there was nothing that could change that. She decided to put the thought aside before another crept into her mind. _What about emotional attachments?_

Tigress had never thought of herself as an emotional person, in fact quite the opposite; she once took pride in her absolute calmness and the cold demeanor with which she carried herself, dismissing such attachments as pointless and weakening.

But now, things were changing. She found herself lightening up much more often, allowing herself to feel happiness and to show it, too. Yet it was usually only in the presence of Po that she let her emotions run free; this connection caused the warm feeling to return as her heart rate picked up.

Another waft of noodle-scented air graced her nose and she felt a grumble in her stomach, prompting her to stand up and approach the panda.

"How's it coming?" she inquired; the panda was obviously unaware of her presence, nearly throwing the ladle across the camp as he jumped and spun around.

"Ah! Oh, uhh…good morning, Tigress…" His reaction made the tiger smile. "…it's comin' along, should be done soon…" he placed the ladle back into the pot, retrieving a sample and testing it before adding a little more salt. "Wanna try some?"

He held the ladle up, beckoning for her to come over. The tiger shrugged and complied, taking a cautious sip out of the ladle as the panda had done. Her eyes lit up as she ran the broth through her mouth.

"Po, this is…amazing…" she was stunned. Po's soup was always good, but this was better than the usual by far. "What did you put in this?"

Po grinned smugly before replying. "I found some herbs around the place and thought I'd try them out, y'know…see what I can do with them." Their eyes connected for a moment, the panda's eyelids falling into a dreamy gaze as he casually leaned an arm on the rickety foldable table upon which the dishes rested. He was so focused on her eyes that he didn't notice the table was wobbling before it was too late; it slipped out from under his weight, causing him to tumble to the ground while the dishes went everywhere.

The clattering of the bowls as they fell was loud enough to wake up the rest of the masters; the three males groaned as they sat up, their ears met with the same strange sound they had yet to get used to: Tigress was giggling again as the panda hastily stood up and brushed himself off in embarrassment.

Po's cheeks were on fire as he chuckled nervously, the awkward smile back on his face as he looked away from the tiger, scratching the back of his head. "Heh…heh…whoops…"

He turned to start cleaning up the mess he made and Tigress helped; luckily nothing was broken and the dishes were still clean. The three males were too busy rolling up their mats to notice.

"So, where's Viper?" Tigress asked, stacking the bowls back onto the table.

"Oh, she went over to the nearby village to get supplies and stuff," Po explained. "She should be back soon-"

As if on cue, Viper rounded the bend in the road near their campsite, pulling a small cart behind her full of groceries. She approached the group excitedly, a smile across her face.

"Guys, I found this really nice restaurant in town! We should totally check it out!" she exclaimed, then turned to the panda. "You could use a break anyway, Po."

The panda didn't know what to do other than shrug and nod in agreement. Though he did love cooking, it could really get tiring after a while.

The rest of the group murmured amongst themselves as Po walked over to the pot of noodles he had prepared, stirred it a bit, and tested it again, nodding to himself. He turned back to the group.

"Alright, but it'll have to wait until lunch. Breakfast is served!"

* * *

Po had just finished cleaning up after breakfast and was rummaging through the pack, looking for something to do when he felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned to its owner, who was once again Tigress.

"Po, come with me…" she turned and began to walk, leading him to a clearing a ways away from the campsite and the rest of the masters, who were busy enjoying themselves in the hot springs.

"What is it? What are we-" His words were halted when Tigress spun around a few feet away from him, getting into her ready stance, a small smile on her face.

"We haven't sparred in a while…even though we are on vacation, we always need to be ready," she explained.

"Yeah, I suppose…" he replied, looking a little disappointed before smiling and looking back up at her through narrowed eyes. "I guess it _has _been a while since I've kicked your butt…"

Tigress smirked. "Po, you've _never _kicked my butt."

"Oh. Right. Well…" he wound up and got ready to charge. "There's a first time for every-AAAHH-Oof!"

Po looked up, dazed as Tigress stood over him, snickering. As soon as he had charged she had spun him around and directed his momentum right into the ground. He spun around on his back and got back to his feet, returning to his ready stance as she did likewise.

"Get ready to feel the THUNDER!" Po taunted, this time approaching her much more cautiously. Their eyes never left one another; it was almost as if the many blows each were delivering and blocking weren't happening at all.

Tigress realized that she had never felt this focused before in her life. Never before had she felt so alive. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered, other than the panda in front of her. She admired his skill and grace; he had definitely improved, he could now hold his own against her. This was going to be a long fight, not that she would have it any other way.

She continued to deflect his blows, delivering a swipe kick to his feet that he dodged and used as momentum for another strike. For the first time in her life, she wanted nothing more than to remain in the company of another for as long as possible. She wanted nothing else than to have this panda's companionship, and that he might have hers. For the first time in her life, she was truly happy.

* * *

As the sun once again reached the crown of the sky, the masters finished packing their things away. Po hoisted the large pack onto his back, and the group set out for the nearby village for lunch.

It was a fairly short walk; in only a mile or so the group rounded a hill and entered a quiet village resembling that of the Valley of Peace. Other than the occasional gasp or bow from the passing townsfolk, the atmosphere remained calm as a gentle breeze swept through the streets, carrying the scent of fine food to the noses of the hungry masters.

"Mmmmm…" Po let his nose guide the group, and before they knew it they were standing in front of a fine establishment that was bustling with customers. "Huh, looks sorta like my dad's place…" Po commented.

"I hope they've got something other than noodles…" Crane said, before looking to the panda. "Not that there's anything wrong with noodles, it's just…that's all we've had in a while…"

Everyone agreed and shuffled inside, eager to see what the restaurant had to offer. A small goat lady approached them as they admired the fancy interior.

"Good afternoon. A table for six?"

The masters nodded and followed the goat to a corner table. Po laid down the large pack out of the way against a wall. She handed out six menus to them before leaving to fetch tea.

"Wow…this is the weirdest salad I've ever seen…" Po said, leaning over to show it to Monkey.

"Po, you're holding it upside down."

"Oh, right…" Turning the menu right-side up, the salad suddenly looked much more appetizing.

The table fell silent as everyone scanned their menus. The waitress returned with tea, pouring each of them a cup and taking everyone's orders. She then collected the menus and turned to deliver their orders to the kitchen.

"This place is pretty nice, Viper," Mantis observed. "Glad you found it."

"I know, right? It's always nice to have a change of scenery…" the snake replied.

About ten minutes of idle conversation later, the waitress returned with six delectable meals. As soon as Po's bowl of rice and vegetables was slid in front of him, he immediately dug in, devouring its contents like it was the last meal he would ever have. The other masters did likewise, but with much more restraint.

After he was done eating, Po's hand began to search for a napkin on the table; as it happened, Tigress was going for the same napkin as Po, and his hand landed on hers.

For a moment both masters stared at the connection their hands made over the napkin. Both felt the fuzzy feeling well up inside of them and their hearts beating fast as they made eye contact.

They were interrupted by snickers from across the table as Mantis and Monkey looked on, smirks plastered across their faces. Viper's tail whipped them both from behind, shutting them up.

The tiger and the panda both withdrew their hands, nervously looking away from each other. The waitress approached the table and began to collect their empty dishes. Po shifted towards his pack, digging through it and pulling out the sack of money his father had lent him.

"Oh, don't worry about paying," the waitress said. When Po looked at her quizzically, she explained. "It is a great honor to have the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior in our restaurant. This meal is on the house."

She smiled and bowed, carrying the dishes away. Po just shrugged and packed his bag back up, slinging it onto his back again and leading the rest of the masters out of the restaurant.

He looked down to his hand, opening and closing it while deep in thought, recalling the feeling of her paw in his.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon at the springs was fairly uneventful. The masters each spent the time alone; Tigress meditated, Viper wandered around the surrounding fields and picked bouquets of flowers, Crane explored the skies, Monkey enjoyed the hot springs on his own, Po took a nap, and Mantis practiced some new moves he had been trying on a nearby tree.

Tigress found herself looking over to the panda many times as he rested against a rock, basking in the sunlight. She was now sure that what she felt for him was more than just friendship; she had known deep down for quite a while now, but had never admitted it to herself. She wondered if he felt the same way about her. _Well, he does act pretty weird around me, so perhaps…_

A spark of hope ignited in her stomach at the thought, the possibility that he cared for her as much as she did for him. She hoped he felt the same warm feeling for her as she felt; that she was not alone in the titillation she experienced every time they gazed upon one another.

With this hope, she found herself much more at peace and able to concentrate for the rest of the afternoon. She was so deep in meditation by the time the sun began to set that she hadn't noticed the rest of the masters return and Po setting up for dinner. It wasn't until the ever-familiar scent of his noodles once again found its way to her nose that she opened her eyes.

The sun was already below the horizon, its last bit of light reflecting off of the few clouds in the sky. She made her way to the circle the group sat in. Po turned his head to her as she approached.

"Oh, hey Tigress. Where've you been?" he asked, still stirring the noodles.

"Just…meditating." She wasn't really in the mood for talking right now; she just wanted to get dinner over with and relax in the hot springs.

"Oh. Cool." Po could tell she didn't want to talk, and decided not to pester her.

The panda tested the soup as usual, and decided it was done.

"Alright, it's ready. Let's eat."

The masters lined up, Po serving them as they passed by. Po made sure to avoid Tigress' eyes as she stepped in front of him with her bowl, still not trusting himself after what happened the day before.

The group ate rather quietly; quieter than usual, prompting Viper to speak up.

"Po, is something wrong? Usually you can't stop talking when we eat," she pointed out, facing the panda as he ate his food slowly.

"What? Oh, no…" the panda looked like he was shaken from some deep thought. "…I just feel kinda sluggish after taking that nap." he chuckled, a hint of anxiety evident. "That, and…I've just been thinking…"

Tigress perked up after just finishing the last of her noodles, wondering just what it was that Po was so deep in thought over. _About what?_

Unintentionally, her thoughts became words as she asked the same thought out loud. "About what?"

"Mostly about what we're gonna do tomorrow, I guess…" the panda replied, shoving some noodles into his mouth.

"…Oh…" The tiger's heart sank. She stood up to place her bowl on the table for washing and left the circle for the springs. Po noticed how dejected she looked as she walked away, hurriedly gobbling up the rest of his noodles and placing his bowl next to hers before taking off after her.

Viper turned to the three males still sitting next to her.

"Guess that means you guys have cleanup duty," she chimed, before following the panda and the tiger. They all groaned, but did not protest as they knew it was their turn.

Po approached the springs, seeing the tiger's form sitting in the water with her back to him. The light of the full moon poured down from the sky, illuminating the scene and setting an almost somber tone. He saw her clothes strewn across the ground, and reluctantly removed his pants, stripping to his under wear like she had before slipping into the water beside her in a most awkward fashion.

She didn't turn to face him; as he gazed upon her face, he could tell something was bothering her, but he wasn't sure if he should say anything or not. Before he got the chance to decide, he heard Viper slither up behind them.

"Is everything okay?" she questioned in a soft tone.

"Yes, everything is fine. I…just need some time to relax," the tiger responded.

Viper sighed, before gazing up at the moon. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah..." Po realized he was still staring at Tigress' face when he answered. He was leaning on one arm that had subconsciously moved slightly behind her back; he jumped when he realized what Viper was referring to, directing his gaze to the sky. "Um-yeah, yeah…it is…"

Viper smiled, giggling inwardly.

Po shifted away from Tigress nervously and cleared his throat, before finally looking back at her.

"Are you sure everything is fine? You can always tell me whatever it is that's bothering you, y'know…"

She knew it was true; if there was anyone in the world that she could open up to and share her problems with, it was Po. A small smile began at the ends of her lips as she turned to make eye contact. Po returned the smile, but she soon turned away and looked down at the water, hers disappearing. She breathed in to speak.

"I've just been…confused, lately…" she started. "You've brought us all closer together, Po. You've helped us come out of our shells, and really _live_…" she sighed, closing her eyes. "I just don't know how to deal with it all, I've never really been good with…emotions…"

Po looked behind them and saw that Viper was now gone; they were alone. In her place lay a small bouquet of flowers that she had picked earlier.

Po knew he was crazy when he reached back and grabbed a lotus out of the batch, but he did it anyway. He did it because it just felt…_right. _He reached around her head and placed the flower behind her ear.

She blushed, instinctively reaching up and feeling it with her paw before smiling and turning to him. Her heart began to beat faster, as did his, as they made eye contact. She snuggled up against him in the water, and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Po froze, unsure what to do; his heart was racing, his body full of the warm, tingly feeling once again. He thought about what Viper had said that morning, that he would know when the time was right to tell her how he felt. He considered it, but decided against it. _No, I need to give it more time…I need to be sure…_

So he laid back a bit, putting his arms behind his head and gazing up into the night sky along with her, content with just having her company for the time being.

* * *

**These two are certainly warming up to each other. Thanks for reading.**

**Chapter 4 will be out ASAP.**


	4. The Moment

**Here is the next chapter. Hope you guys like it, more will be out as soon as I get around to it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Moment**

Po's eyes shot open as his body lurched forward, sending the blanket that covered him flying. He sat there for a moment, breathing heavily with a cold sweat on his brow, his hands shaking. His eyes darted everywhere; for a moment, he had no idea where he was, but upon seeing his fellow masters lying in the circle around him, he began to relax.

He got to his feet on shaky legs, not having any recollection of any dreams he might have had and not knowing what woke him up. It was still fairly dark out, but dawn was fast approaching through an overcast sky. He stood by his mat for a second before turning to roll it up. Cool gusts of wind swept through the camp; that coupled with the lack of light made for a somewhat foreboding atmosphere.

The panda finished rolling his mat, tying the knot around it while observing his surroundings. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

It just felt as if something was…_wrong._

The feeling disappeared when his eyes landed on the tiger lying across from him on her mat, sleeping soundly. He smiled when he saw that the lotus was still behind her ear where he had placed it the night before.

He walked over to her, gently pulling her blanket up around her and removing the flower from behind her ear, placing it at her side. He stood back, the smile still on his face, as he gazed down upon her.

Warm feelings swirled around inside of him as he marveled at the fact that her mere presence was enough to make everything okay. He resisted the urge to bend down and pull her into an embrace; to hold her and never let her go.

His smile dropped into a grimace as he turned away. He still had no idea how he would be able to tell her about his feelings for her, or if he was even ready. He wondered if she felt the same way for him, before remembering last night, how close she had gotten…

Perhaps there was hope after all.

Po shivered a bit, feeling incredibly restless, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He decided to instead look for firewood for the morning fire. After placing his mat alongside the pack, he left for the thicket once again.

Thinking back to last night, he pondered the moment when she rested her head on his shoulder. He wondered if that was the right time to tell her and he had already missed it, and what would've happened had he told her right then and there. But he knew he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to it; he didn't feel like he was ready.

_You'll know when the time is right. I know you can do it._ Viper's words rang through his head over and over again. He really hoped she was right.

He began to rummage through the trees and bushes, grabbing anything serviceable for firewood. A gust of wind shook the leaves around him, causing them to all hiss in unison, the branches of the foliage swaying ominously. He felt a chill run down his spine as he hastily withdrew from the thicket with a bundle of sticks under his arm. He was now suitably shaken from his thoughts, and decided to think on them later, now feeling the same foreboding feeling return as he walked back to camp.

Po approached the fire pit and dropped the firewood into it and turned to walk over to his pack to retrieve the flint, but noticed something was different out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to Tigress' mat and saw that she was gone; the lotus now lay on her mat where she had been. A mixture of worry and anxiety welled up in the panda's stomach. The ominous atmosphere didn't help, though at least it was starting to get lighter out. He dug through the pack, keeping his ears perked and ready to detect any sign of an ambush, and retrieved the flint.

He turned around and froze, almost dropping the flint as his eyes fell on the tiger who was sitting by the fire pit in the lotus position, her eyes beaming into his. She motioned to him with her head, beckoning him to join her. His eyes scanned over the rest of the camp and saw that everyone else was still asleep. If this was a trap, it was most likely just her.

He approached her somewhat cautiously. His eyes were suspicious at first, but when he got closer and saw how relaxed she was, they softened. He dropped the flint by the pit before sitting down in front of her, their eyes never breaking connection. The tiger's smile widened ever so slightly, prompting his to do the same.

Po felt a remarkable sense of calm wash over him as he began to meditate with her; the strange sense of imminent danger had vanished once more. He felt safe when he was near her, as if nothing in the world could overcome them. The passage of time seemed nonexistent as the two masters gazed ever deeper into the other's eyes, both content to stay this way for hours on end.

* * *

The rest of the day proceeded much like it had the day before, each master pursuing their own activities. Viper had left for a spa in town, Monkey and Mantis had trained and were now relaxing in the spring, Crane practiced his calligraphy, and Po and Tigress sparred again before joining Monkey and Mantis after lunch.

The four masters sat in the corner of the spring as Mantis cracked a few jokes.

"…so he takes one look at her and says, 'Nah, I'm good, I'll keep my head, thank you very much.'"

Monkey and Mantis burst out laughing, as Tigress scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking to the panda next to her to gauge his reaction. He just sat there, confused.

"Wait, so…I don't get it." He scratched his head as he tried to figure out the meaning behind Mantis' joke.

The primate smirked while Mantis deadpanned and sighed. "Okay, so, y'know how Praying Manti-"

"I don't need to hear how it works, thank you." Tigress held up her hand and cut off Mantis in his explanation. "You guys are so immature…" With that, she stood up and exited the spring, shaking off before getting dressed and beginning to walk away.

"Better go get your girlfriend, Po!" Monkey teased, high-fiving Mantis while both snickered incessantly. Without Viper there to keep them in line, the two were having a field day.

"_Guyyyysss…_she is_ not _my girlfriend!" Po whined back, only making the other two males laugh harder. The panda sighed and shook his head, stepping out of the spring and shaking off, slipping his pants back on and leaving the other two to their immaturity. He caught up to Tigress just as she was leaving the camp.

"Tigress!" He called out as he ran to her side, slightly out of breath. "Where're you going?"

"For a walk." She replied calmly, still staring straight ahead. "You're welcome to join me if you're sick of those guys."

"Yeah…" Po frowned as the howls of laughter continued to erupt from the springs behind him. "They _are_ really immature…"

Tigress remained silent as the two strolled out of the camp and onto the road.

"So, uh…are we walking to any place in particular, or…?"

The tiger shrugged. "Anywhere but back there."

"Fair enough."

Po felt a grumble in his stomach and realized it had been a few hours since they last ate; the sun was already nearing the horizon.

"Hey, uh…" he began, choosing his words rather carefully. "Forget those guys, wanna grab somethin' to eat, y'know…just the two of us?"

Tigress stopped in her tracks, prompting the panda to do likewise as she turned to him with a smile on her face. _Is he asking me out on a date? _She decided not to allow her thoughts to become words this time.

"I'd like that," she responded instead with a nod.

* * *

The two masters sat in the same restaurant they had visited the day before, albeit this time in a more secluded section, at a two-person table. Po was rambling on as usual, unable to shut his mouth.

"So, have you ever had a nickname?"

"No, Po-"

"Well, you should totally get one…I've had a couple, like The Big Fat Panda, and Podacious…hmmm, what could yours be?"

"Po."

"Oh, I know! How about just Ti? It's nice and simple-"

"Po!"

"Yeah?"

The tiger motioned to the waitress, who had been standing there for a while now, waiting to take their orders.

"Oh, uh…" The panda scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. "I'll have that same rice and vegetable bowl, but maybe with sautéed onions this time…"

The waitress nodded, writing down his order before turning to the tiger.

"I'll have the gourmet tofu with a side of dumplings, please."

Taking the menus, the waitress bowed out and returned to the kitchen.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the camp…

Monkey felt a grumble start in his stomach.

"Uhh…are they coming back?" he asked Crane and Mantis who sat with him by the fire pit. The masters just looked at each other nervously.

"Well, shit…I don't know how to cook anything!" Mantis exclaimed.

"It's really not that hard, you know…" Crane retorted, moving to start the fire.

"Oh, really? Enlighten us, please," the bug replied. Crane just sighed.

Monkey was digging through the pack, looking for Po's noodle supplies. He pulled it all out and laid it before the others in a heap. They looked down at the intricate mechanisms and ingredients which they had no idea how to use. Mantis looked up to his comrades through panicked eyes.

"We're screwed."

* * *

"Oh, wow…now _that_ stuff will _never_ get old…" Po declared, patting his stomach in contentment after having downed the entire bowl in just a couple of minutes.

Tigress just smirked, finishing the last of her tofu and placing her chopsticks down before clearing her throat to speak.

"Um…Po? Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away," Po replied through a napkin as he wiped his mouth.

Tigress hesitated. She didn't quite know how to go about asking what she wanted to know, but the warm feeling in her stomach had been growing stronger all night. She had to say _something._

"Do you ever…get a…a warm feeling-"

She was cut off by the waitress as she approached their table. Po reached over and grabbed Tigress' dishes and stacked them onto his own, handing them to the waitress and pulling out a small sack of money from his pocket, throwing it on the table. The waitress bowed and thanked them as Po stood up.

"C'mon, we can talk on the way back." He turned to leave. Tigress sighed and followed him out of the restaurant and back onto the quiet streets.

Other than the panda and the tiger, not a soul was in sight as the two strolled down the street into the night. The village wasn't very big, so it wasn't long until they were back out in the countryside as they headed back to the springs.

"So…what did you want to say back there?" Po asked, turning to the tiger as they walked.

She hesitated for a moment. _Gods, what am I doing? _she thought as she grabbed his arm and pulled him off of the road and up a small hill beside it.

They stood there for a good minute, gazing out across the moonlit landscape below them.

"Po…I need to ask you something…" Tigress began, closing her eyes and hanging her head, almost as if in shame.

"What…what is it?" He inquired with a genuine look of confusion across his face.

"What would you do if…you found out…that a person…_likes_ you?"

"…Likes me? Um, well, a lot of people like me, so-"

"I mean 'like' as in…more than a friend…"

Po's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Oh, uh…" his hand found its way to the back of his head while he cleared his throat nervously. "…well, I, uh…I don't really…"

Tigress sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get a coherent answer, so she decided to continue.

"…what if…that person…was…_me?" _

Po's heart jumped into his throat as a wave of warmth flooded his chest, tingles and shivers following. His eyes were flitting all over the place as he turned away from her.

"Tigress…I-I…"

She placed her paw on his shoulder and gently turned him back towards her. They made eye contact, and Viper's words returned to his head. _You'll know when the time is right…_

"Po…I think…"

The panda gulped, but was too lost in the tiger's eyes to move away. He began to twiddle his thumbs nervously instead.

"…I think I…_love you."_

Those last words hit him like a brick to the face. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates by now. He gulped again and bit down on his lip, backing up ever so slightly and letting her paw slip off of his shoulder. He knew this was the time. This was the right time. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

Yet he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to admit his feelings for her in return. His lips just wouldn't form the words and his lungs refused to release the air to say them. Viper's words ran though his head one last time. _I know you can do it…_

He spun his back to her, trying to focus on the words he wanted so desperately to say, the words he was trying so earnestly to force out of his mouth. But they just wouldn't come.

He said something else instead.

"Wow, it-it's getting pretty…late…" he stuttered, looking up at the sky and the position of the moon. He could feel Tigress' eyes widen and her mouth drop open.

"Po…" his name left her lips in a squeak.

"Yeah, it looks like…it might…rain…"

She gaped, taking a few steps backwards as if physically struck by his words. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes as her heart sank like a rock.

She had opened up to emotion for the first time in her entire life.

She had felt feelings she never dreamed she would ever feel.

She had shared them with the person she cared for most.

She had just told him she _loved _him…

And the only thing he could reply with…_was the weather._

Was that how interested in her feelings he really was? Was the _weather_ more important to him than the fact that she had just admitted how emotionally invested in him she truly was? She felt as if a knife had been driven through her heart as feelings of something similar to betrayal seeped in through the wound.

Her lips began to quiver, tears now falling freely as she waited with bated breath for him to come to his senses…to turn around and tell her how he really felt…

"_P-Po…?"_

The panda didn't turn around. He stood, frozen in place, ten feet or so in front of her. It was clear that he was going to say no more.

A small whimper left the tiger's mouth as she pulled herself away from him and down the hill before breaking out in sobs, taking off down the road on all fours.

A single tear found its way down Po's cheek as he sat down. He didn't feel the first raindrop as it landed on his head, nor the torrent that soon followed.

* * *

**Yeah...this was pretty hard for me to write due to the memories...Chapter 5 should be out soon though. See you guys there.**


	5. Pain and Regret

**Got this one out quickly as a followup for chapter 4, but it will take me a bit longer to write chapter 6. I will still try to get it out soon though. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Pain and Regret**

Tears stung her eyes as she fell down at the side of the road, breathing hard. The pain was unbearable; it was like nothing she had ever felt before. The tiger lay there for a while, clutching at her side and weeping silently. When the rain started to fall, she dragged herself to her feet and headed for shelter under some nearby trees.

Anger burned inside of her; how could he have blown her feelings off like that? Did all the time they had spent with one another mean _nothing?_

_How could he hurt me like that? I thought he…_

_Thought._ She realized then that she had only been assuming that he held similar feelings for her; the anger towards him diminished as she winced, now seeing the truth.

What on earth had she been thinking, telling him that she _loved _him? She had only just realized it herself not a day or two ago, but she was already pushing it on him? Regret clutched her heart with an iron grip.

_Of course he doesn't love me back…_

She didn't know why she expected anything different. She felt anger rising up again in her abdomen – this time directed at herself.

_Gods, I'm so stupid! How could I have thought for even a _second…_Why would he ever have those kinds of feelings for someone like _me?

She whipped around and struck a small tree, snapping the trunk in half on impact. She clenched her fists and seethed as the crown of the tree fell beside her.

_...why would he have feelings for a _monster _like me?_

Images of her childhood at the orphanage flooded into her head: the endless chants of the other children, crying _'Monster, monster!_' The absolute isolation she had grown accustomed to had hardened her to any social interaction. She _was _a monster.

The flood gates opened, every moment of grief and sorrow from her collective memory now swarmed her thoughts, each bringing with it an emotional dagger to be driven further into her heart.

She was a monster for how she treated the panda in the beginning. All of the things she said, all of the things she did in her attempt to rid herself of his presence…

And she was a monster for trying to control him in Gongmen City. For trying to force him to stay behind while she and the others went after Shen. Keeping him from learning the truth about his past, like she had any authority over the Dragon Warrior himself. She was a monster for not allowing him to stay with her; had he been with them when they left for the factory, he wouldn't have had to face Shen alone and nearly get killed…

She breathed in shakily at the memory. The hollowness she felt while dangling above the ship with her comrades was now back in full force…

…except this time it wasn't because she didn't want him to be with her. It was because _he_ didn't want to be with her. And she didn't blame him.

She should have known that he didn't feel the same way about her. Of course he didn't love her back; she hadn't given him nearly enough time to think things over, she shouldn't have jumped on him so suddenly…

The trees around her swayed back and forth in the wind, almost as if they were nodding in agreement with her thoughts. The rain was once again pelting away at her; the tree that had once blocked it now lay broken before her.

_A perfect analogy of my life…_ she thought. Everything was fine before she went in and messed it all up. That was how it had always been, and how it always would be. Breaking things was what monsters did.

After a while of standing there in the rain, Tigress realized something.

Normally by this point the panda would be at her side, helping her through her pain, providing consolation and showing her that he cared. But she was still alone.

It had now been confirmed that he didn't love her. After she had admitted her feelings for him, he must've been either shocked, disgusted, or both…there was no way he was coming after her now.

It was this confirmation that finally broke her completely. The regret was now tearing away at her, the emotional pain almost becoming physical as she fell to her hands and knees, sobbing loudly; her wails were drowned out by the rain and the thunder above.

She had to end it. She had to end the pain. Now.

It took every ounce of her composure and discipline to sit back into the lotus position. The tiger focused as hard as she could, forcing her stinging eyes shut, desperately searching for something, _anything_ to make the pain stop…

…when she found it. Her cold, stoic old self that had since been buried underneath layers of newfound emotions. It now resurfaced to her, sliding over her as if it were a suit of armor. Initially, her feelings resisted, providing her with the same warm feeling at the thought of the panda she loved, before capitulating.

_No! He _doesn't _love you back. It would _never _work! Just STOP thinking about it!_

She breathed deeply in and out many times over the course of what felt like an hour, slowly feeling herself calm down at the rhythm of her breathing. The pain had subsided for the most part, as had the storm that surrounded her.

She rose to her feet, contemplating whether to continue back to camp or not; she eventually decided on the latter. She needed more time alone.

* * *

Po sat on the hill, soaked through completely as the rain began to taper off and the storm died down. Tears were now pouring down his face, mixing with the rain water and spreading themselves out across his fur as he whimpered quietly. He didn't remember the last time he cried; not even when he discovered his past while achieving Inner Peace had a single tear left his eyes.

His heart was pounding, aching horribly with each beat. He clutched at his chest with his right hand, his left moving to rub his eyes.

_What the hell did I just do? _His mind was at a loss as he sifted through what had just occurred.

He turned his head towards the road with a small sliver of hope that she would be standing there, coming back to him, ready to give him another chance…

But his heart sank even further when he saw no one in sight. He had really done it this time.

He tried to think of all the mistakes he had made throughout his life, trying desperately to come up with something to compare this blunder with so that he might have some past experience to call on. After minutes of searching, he stood up, empty-handed.

This was easily the worst mistake he had ever made.

All of his previous mistakes usually only involved him; if they happened to affect other people, it had always been in minor ways that could be fixed with a simple apology.

But this time, he had hurt someone deeper than he could imagine. Someone he cared about more than anything else. Someone he loved.

He had thrown away his one chance of telling Tigress how he truly felt, stepping all over her feelings in the process and ending it with a silent 'screw off.'

"Tigress…I'm so sorry…" he whispered to himself, still clutching at his heart as he walked to where she had been standing…where she had been standing when she said the words he had always dreamt of hearing…

This time, a simple apology wouldn't work. He knew that.

What he didn't know was what _would_ work.

He had never had to deal with something like this before. He thought of running down the road, hoping to catch up to her and pouring out his feelings to her and telling her how sorry he was. But the uncertainty and lack of confidence he had just displayed made him think otherwise. _What if I freeze up again and just end up making it worse?_

The panda fell back onto his rear, burying his face in his hands as silent tears of his own regret continued to spill out of his eyes. He now felt anger building up inside. He pulled his head back and punched himself in the face over and over again. _Why am I such a screw up?!_

He realized that sitting there hitting himself wasn't going to solve anything. He needed to find a solution. He needed to fix this.

Viper was an option, though he didn't know what he thought she would be able to do other than what she already had. The person he really needed was Master Shifu, someone with knowledge and wisdom that preceded all of them. But he just realized that he hadn't thought about Shifu in all of this up until now; how would he react when he learned of this development?

He began to make his way down the hill and back to the road as he scratched his head in thought. He knew he would only be able to do this by himself in the end. Perhaps the most direct approach was the right one? _Maybe I'll just catch her when she's alone…and…I don't know, dammit…_

Po grew increasingly frustrated as he made his way down the road and back to the springs. By the time he reached the dark campsite, he still had nothing, but he had at least calmed down a bit.

He barely noticed the heap of his cooking instruments and ingredients that lay by his pack in disarray, but when he did he didn't care; he was too tired and distraught. His eyelids drooped heavily in fatigue, but rose back up when he saw everyone sleeping in their mats…except Tigress.

His throbbing heart began to pound in his chest as tears returned to his eyes. The pain was now back again in full force; it felt as if the incident happened just minutes ago. He wandered over to her mat, his eyes landing on the lotus flower that still lay there. He picked it up, and held it in his hands as if it were an ancient Kung Fu relic, before bringing it to his chest and falling onto his back.

He sobbed quietly for a few minutes before slowly drifting off, still clutching the flower as he fell asleep on her mat.

* * *

**This one was a bit shorter than the other chapters, but I feel that enough was said to accomplish its purpose. Feel free to leave your thoughts, reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading, more will be out soon :)**


	6. Repression

**Hello, everyone! Happy Easter weekend for all those who celebrate it. I would've gotten this chapter out sooner had it not been for a weird upload error preventing me from posting this.**

**This is the second-to-last chapter, I will get the final chapter out soon. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

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**Chapter 6: Repression**

Distant rumbling. Darkness surrounded the panda as he stared down at his hand and the object within it, unable to turn to face the thunderstorm that was approaching. The lotus flower was tight in his grip, which only grew tighter as the last bit of light illuminating his hand was swallowed up by the void. The rumbling grew louder, but more distinct; the booming thunder now transformed into voices. At last his eyes gave way to the blinding sunlight that assaulted them as they opened.

He was met with three concerned pairs of eyes and one backside as he lifted his head; Mantis was standing on Po's chest, addressing Monkey, Viper, and Crane who stood at the panda's feet.

"…or something, I don't know!" The end of Mantis' sentence was garbled by Po's ears, which were still not fully awake.

Po let out a groan as he sat up, causing Mantis to jump off of him and join the rest of the masters at his feet.

"Finally, dude!" The insect exclaimed. "We've been trying to wake you for, like, an _hour_ now!" The rest of the masters nodded, waiting for a response.

Instead of responding, the panda looked down to his hand. It was still clenching the flower he had held all night; he opened his hand and let it fall onto the ground, broken by his grip. The sight of its limp figure made his stomach turn, the pain slowly coming back from last night's events. He sighed, then looked back to his comrades sitting before him.

"An…hour? What…" Po rubbed his eyes as he drowsily fumbled through words.

"Is something wrong? You look…awful…" Crane remarked, stepping closer to Po's side and readjusting his wings nervously.

"Yeah, are you okay, buddy?" Monkey chimed in, placing a hand on the panda's shoulder.

"Po, what happened? Why are you sleeping on Tigress' mat…and where _is _Tigress?" Viper inquired. Po could tell she knew something had gone wrong; the concern in her eyes couldn't have been more genuine and she sounded more worried than ever.

"Tigress…" Po squeaked out her name, wincing slightly as he looked away. He did stand up, though, now fully aware that he was in fact sitting on her mat. He took a few steps away from the group before answering the latter two of Viper's questions. "I…don't know…"

"You…you don't know?" The snake echoed. When the panda simply shook his head, she glanced over to Monkey, Mantis and Crane and sighed. She knew he wasn't going to say a thing with this many ears around.

"Guys, could you maybe…give us some time alone?"

The three males nodded solemnly, knowing that this was none of their business. They turned to leave, Monkey giving a final pat to Po's back before following the other two back to the springs. Viper slithered over to his side and looked up into his eyes, taking note of how bloodshot and pained they looked, staring off into the distance as if they could see for hundreds of miles. She was keen on learning just what it was that had happened between the two, but was also dreading the response she might receive.

"Let's go for a walk," she suggested in a soft, comforting tone, slowly moving ahead of him and hoping he would follow. She inwardly sighed in relief when she heard him begin to walk after her, but that relief was soon replaced by more worry as she realized he had done so wordlessly. Something was definitely wrong; he was almost never this quiet.

She waited until the two were a suitable distance from the camp, past the thicket and into some light backwoods before turning to the panda, stopping him in his tracks. The troubled look she gave him told him to start speaking. He looked down to his feet and began.

"So…last night, when you were at the spa…" he looked up to her and she nodded for him to continue. "I…Tigress…well, she…" he rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Half of him wanted to just get it off of his chest, to tell someone and get it over with, but the other half – mainly consisting of the agonizing guilt and regret that was still tormenting him – kept telling him that it would be better to keep it to himself.

But he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything of the sort. It had to come out one way or another; everyone would know sooner or later. He turned from the snake and went with the former.

"…she…might have told me…that she _loved_ me."

A small gasp escaped Viper's lips; she would have felt giddy with excitement had it not been so obvious that something was wrong. She instead remained silent, prompting him to continue.

"…and I may have…sorta…accidentally…_rejected_ her." He choked on the last words, tears slowly welling up at the back of his eyes. The ache was once again engulfing his heart, causing it to throb with every beat. His hand subconsciously moved to his chest, clutching at it as if to somehow alleviate the pain.

Viper just sat there, baffled by the words that had just left the panda's mouth.

"Wait, you…_what?"_

"I didn't try to, I swear!" Po spun back towards her defensively. "I tried to tell her that I loved her back, but I…I really tried, but I just…I couldn't do it…" His head fell in remorse; he couldn't bring his now tear-filled eyes to the snake before him.

She moved close to him, once again taking his hand in her tail and coiling around it. She sighed, and was about to speak before she was cut off by a frantic voice behind her.

"Guys! Tigress is back!" Monkey called as he ran up to them, out of breath. He beckoned for them to come with before turning to leave again.

Viper left without a word, hurriedly slithering after the primate. Po felt a shiver of adrenaline flow through him as he forced himself to follow.

* * *

Po rounded the bend and approached the camp, the gentle breeze only serving to agitate him further. His eyes scanned the campsite with anticipation before they finally fell on her. He froze.

He stood there for what seemed like ages observing her as she laid waste to a tree in front of her. He saw Mantis, Crane, and now Monkey sitting rather far away from her, simply watching her, obviously unsure what to do. Viper was waiting closer to Po, motioning for him to follow. This time, his legs moved him forward without any thought; he was too focused on the tiger and how unnaturally stiff her form was.

As he moved closer, Viper still at his side, the tiger turned to face him, sending him a glare that stopped him in his tracks. Oh yeah, she was angry alright.

Po felt heat in his cheeks and guilt in his stomach. His heart was pounding and throbbing uncontrollably. All he could do was look down to the ground and sigh before meeting her gaze again.

Wait a minute. No, she wasn't angry. The look in her eyes was something…different. Something all too familiar.

Po desperately searched her eyes for something, anything, even a faint glimmer of the Tigress he had grown used to over the past few months. But all he could find was the same cold gaze she had given him the day the two first met.

His heart sank like a rock. No, he couldn't do this. Not now. He needed some more time to think things through.

But as he turned to leave, he was met with a stern glare and a firm push from Viper. He gazed desperately over to the three males that sat a ways away from him; all of them nodded and motioned him forward. There was no getting out of this now.

He cautiously approached the tiger as she stood there, motionless, before nervously clearing his throat and looking her in the eyes once more to begin.

"Tigress, I'm _really_ sorry-"

"It's fine. Forget it." The tiger replied rigidly.

Po was taken aback; his eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly at her response.

"What?! No, it isn't-"

Tigress held her hand up to silence him. "Po, just…don't." She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to walk back to the camp.

Po was shocked. He felt all eyes on him as he stood there, seriously feeling as if he were about to break out in tears. He fell back on his rear, fighting to keep his eyes dry as he tried to comprehend what just happened like he had the night before. _Is…_ _is it all over, then?_

"Tigress, wait!" Viper called out to the tiger as she rolled up her mat, casually tossing the flower that still lay on it aside. She turned to face the snake as she approached.

"I'm heading back to the Jade Palace. This 'vacation' is a waste of time, we need to be training."

Mantis, Monkey and Crane all rose up in protest but were silenced when Viper spoke up.

"Wait, guys…maybe we _should_ head back…" The three males and now the panda looked at her through inquisitive eyes. "We've barely had any time at home since Gongmen City, and…" she turned her gaze to the panda specifically before continuing. "…I think that's what we need right now."

The three males groaned and grudgingly accepted; Po silently agreed with her, standing up and moving to the pack and beginning to fill it with their supplies, not worrying about the state that his cooking instruments and materials were in. He just realized that he hadn't yet had breakfast, or whatever sad excuse for said breakfast had been prepared by the other masters that morning before he had awoken.

It didn't bother him like it should have. He wasn't hungry, instead focusing on clearing the campsite as quickly as possible. They soon finished packing up, and the group was on the road again by late-morning.

* * *

The trip back was absolutely silent, but not because everyone was too full of food to speak. In fact, the group had opted to skip lunch in favor of making better time back to the palace. Po was surprisingly unconcerned with this choice; he was still much too distraught to even think about eating. He hung towards the back of the group, sedately observing the tiger master that lead the group by good margin.

He once again began to ponder the choices that lay before him. _Do I try again, or will that just make it worse? I can't just let it go like that, no matter what she says…it is _not _fine…yeah, I'll just have to try again…_

A spark of confidence found its way into the panda's heart, but soon died down and was again replaced by uncertainty and doubt. _But…what if she still doesn't accept my apology? Or what if I somehow screw it up again, and…ugh…I just don't know what to do…_

He examined her stiff body, how each step she took was deliberate and how her every movement seemed to lack any emotion whatsoever. _Please…please let her be in there somewhere…I need another chance, please…_

The tiger made sure to stride confidently, intent on keeping internal the emotional turmoil she, too, was experiencing. She found it quite difficult, however, as the more time she would focus on repressing her foolish emotions the less time she spent focusing on her outward composure, frequently letting her eyes drop to the ground in thought. _Ugh…why can't you just drop it already? It would never work, even if he did think of you that way, and he doesn't!_

She let out an unintentional sigh as she thought back to earlier that day. _Seriously, he looked like he was about to run and hide…Viper had to _push _him towards me to get him to talk…there's no way he would willingly approach you after what you pulled last night…_

She almost lost her composure completely at the rehashed memory of the previous night's events. Her stomach clenched and churned as emotions she had ultimately failed to suppress rose up again, breaking the chains she had continually laid over them to tie them back down through her own self-deception. But they broke free every time, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she focused on calling upon her old discipline.

The tiger breathed deeply many times as she had the night before; it took several minutes for her to quell the warm feelings she still held for the panda as well as the pain of rejection that stung just as hard as if it had happened not moments ago. She felt calmness return to her, slipping over her in a comforting wave. She felt safe and secure, though she knew deep down it was only temporary.

The rest of the group had no idea what to make of this development. None of the three other males knew for sure what was going on or why, but inferences could be made and as such they didn't concern themselves with what was obviously none of their business. This didn't stop them from worrying for their comrades, however; it took all of their discipline and self-restraint to keep to themselves.

Viper, on the other hand, felt that she had a stake in this, but really had no idea what to do with it. She couldn't apologize for Po, and she couldn't force Tigress to accept his apology either. She felt stuck in-between a rock and a hard place just as the panda and the tiger were. _How did things ever get like this? _

The group reached the Valley of Peace just as the sun was setting. Viper sighed inwardly in relief; home was in sight once more. They picked up the pace, eager to return to the palace and the comfort it provided.

"Po!" The group, minus Tigress, stopped and turned to greet Mr. Ping as he pounced on his son, giving him a welcome-home hug. "You're back early! Is something wrong?"

Po sighed. "No, dad, everything's fine." The panda returned the goose's hug before putting him down and continuing on towards the palace. It was painfully obvious by his tone that everything _wasn't _fine, though his father decided against prodding for once and instead gave his son a consoling pat on the arm before turning back to his shop.

The group began to climb the Thousand Steps, Tigress already half-way up, when Viper noticed Po had yet to step onto the stairs. She motioned for the rest to continue up, while she slithered back down to the dejected panda that stood at the bottom.

"Po?" she called in a soft tone.

The panda let out another heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Viper, I don't know what to do. I just can't…think!" He groaned in frustration. "I've never had to deal with anything like this before, and I need _help!" _

"Po, I know this is hard for you, but…" she sighed and looked away from him before continuing. "…there's nothing that I can really do-"

"What do you _mean_, there's _nothing_ you can do?" Po's vexation was becoming increasingly prominent as he no longer attempted to hide it. "Just do _something_, _anything-"_

Viper spun around and glared at him in the eye. "I'm not the one that messed it all up, dammit!"

Her irritated glare immediately dissolved into a look of regret as she turned her back to the panda and continued in a softer tone. "I can't fix everything…"

She heard the panda move away and run up the stairs behind her, not bothering to stop him.

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**Hope you liked it, feel free to tell me what you thought! Stay tuned for the resolution in the last chapter which should be out soon, see you there!**


	7. The Truth

**Here it is, the final chapter. I hope you find this a satisfying conclusion to this story; I've had these moments in my head since the beginning :P**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KFP**

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**Chapter 7: The Truth**

The doors to the Hall of Warriors swung open behind Master Shifu, breaking him from his meditation. He stood up and turned to face an out-of-breath Po who was crawling across the floor, gasping for air. The panda made eye contact and reached out to Shifu.

"Master…*pant*…Shifu..."

"Po!" Shifu's eyes grew wide with concern as he hurriedly approached his student. "Why are you back here so early? Has something gone wrong? Are you being chased?"

Po continued to pant, oblivious to Shifu's questioning as he slowly rose to his feet. The panda bowed before his master once he caught his breath, and spoke.

"Master Shifu…I need your help."

Shifu stood back in his fighting stance. "What is it? Where are they? What happened to the others?"

Po held out his hand to stop him. "No, it's not like that…" When the red panda raised an eyebrow and looked on questioningly, he continued. "…everyone's fine, we just decided to come back a bit early…but…I have a…uh, a problem…it's…_personal…"_

"Hmm. I see." Shifu motioned for the panda to sit as he did likewise. "What is it that is troubling you?"

Po hesitated a moment, then sighed.

"Okay, I know you're going to be angry, but…" Po took a deep breath before spilling it all out at once. "Every time I've been around Tigress in the past, I've felt different. More focused, and more alive, like I can do _anything._ And recently it's gotten to the point where I can't imagine life _without_ her…" He took another breath, standing up to pace back and forth, not daring to look into Shifu's eyes. "So I asked Viper what all this means and she said that it means that I love her and-"

"Po."

The panda sighed again, turning apprehensively to Shifu while twiddling his thumbs nervously. He was expecting his master to be full of anger. He expected him to be disgusted by the fact that his students had gone behind his back and kept something from him. He expected chastisement beyond his wildest dreams. He expected _anything _other than what he was about to hear.

"I know."

A small smile began at the corners of the red panda's mouth in response to the dumbfounded look on Po's face.

"Uhh…what?" Po asked, shocked and unsure if he had heard his master correctly.

"I already know." Shifu paced to his student's side, hands behind his back as he walked. He stood silently for a moment before turning back to Po and continuing. "I've been around for quite some time, panda. I know the signs, and I've seen how you two act around each other."

Po scratched his head before holding it up hopefully. "You mean…you knew all along…before _I _even did…and…you're _okay_ with it?"

Shifu nodded. "Po…life isn't only about Kung Fu. You've shown us that." His smile grew as he continued. "Life is about doing what you feel is right. What makes _you_ happy." He paced back in front of the panda and faced him head on. "If this is what makes you happy, and this is what makes her happy, I shall not dare interfere."

Po would have been ecstatic, but he remembered the other problem still at hand. His smile dropped back into a grimace, prompting Shifu to inquire further.

"There is…something _else_ bothering you?"

Po hung his head low as he nodded. He fell back onto his rear and slumped over with his hands in his lap. The panda sat there for a few seconds before raising his eyes to meet Shifu's.

"Well…you see…" His eyes dropped back to the ground in front of him. He found it difficult to sort through his memories; the accompanying pain began to overwhelm him before he managed to force out the words. "Last night, I was with…Tigress…and she…she told me how she felt…she said that she…loved me…" Po's hand was back over his heart as he attempted to wrestle with the ache each throb produced.

Shifu raised an eyebrow, surprised at what he was hearing; surprised that she had admitted her feelings to the panda first and not the other way around.

"…and…well, I screwed it up." Another despondent sigh left his mouth. "And now…now she won't talk to me, she wouldn't even let me _apologize…_"

Shifu stroked his beard for a moment and spoke up. "Po, has it occurred to you that she might be hurting just as much as you are?"

Po looked somewhat confused at the question. "Well, _yeah…_she seemed pretty angry-"

"Perhaps anger is her way of coping. Perhaps it is her way of concealing how she _truly_ feels…"

The panda's ears perked up. "You mean…I might still have a chance?"

Shifu nodded with a grin. But that grin soon fell into a frown as he thought. He opened his mouth to speak, leaving it hang open for a few seconds before words actually came out.

"Believe it or not, when I was around your age I was in a similar predicament…"

"What? You mean-"

"Yes." Shifu rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I had found the woman of my dreams, but when the time came to share our feelings…suffice it to say, I made a mistake much the same as yours."

"…really?" Po tried to imagine his master with a woman. The thought would have been amusing had the situation not been so serious.

Shifu turned his back to Po before he spoke again. "I, like you, tried to apologize…but that wasn't enough. My biggest mistake came when I let myself think it was truly over from that point on." He paced up to the Moon Pool, looking down into it for a moment and then turning back to the panda. "I gave up on her."

He held his head in remorse and sighed, but then looked up again through fierce eyes directly into Po's.

"You must not make my mistake. You mustn't give up."

Po let his gaze drop from Shifu's eyes. "I don't know, Shifu…I just…I don't think I _can_…what if I screw up again?"

Shifu strode towards the panda. "What if? That's the question. You will never know unless you try!" Shifu paused a moment to let the words sink in. "You also didn't think you could learn Kung Fu, and neither did I. But I was told that all I had to do was _believe_. Believe that I could train you, so that you could believe that you could be trained." Shifu held out his hand, motioning to the panda. "And look how it turned out. You are my most skilled student, and one of the greatest Kung Fu masters I have seen to date."

Po looked up and met Shifu's eyes again. Seeing this, the red panda went on. "And now…now it is _your_ turn to believe. You have defeated two of the greatest threats China has ever seen; you can certainly tell someone the truth about how you feel. And you _will_." Shifu smiled brightly. "That's an order."

"I will, master. Thank you." Po smiled and rose to his feet confidently, bowing as the red panda did likewise. The spark of determination in his stomach was back, and this time the flame had caught. He marched out of the still-open doors to the hall, closing them behind him as he began his search for the tiger.

* * *

Viper sat in the courtyard outside the training hall, listening to the sounds of destruction that came from within. The other masters had retired to the kitchen for a much needed meal, while Tigress had, of course, gone straight to training.

The snake sighed. She worried for the tiger's well-being, as well as Po's. She thought of how she had snapped at him down in the village, the regret amplifying each time she went over it in her head. _I really need to say sorry-_

As if on cue, the panda came barreling down the stairs out of the Hall of Warriors. She called out to him as he approached.

"Po, I wanted to say I'm sorry for-"

Po held up his hand. "Don't worry about it, I understand you were frustrated and all. Where's Tigress?"

The snake hesitated, then motioned with her head, pointing to the training hall.

"Ah, right. Thanks!" Po gave her a thumbs-up and took off.

_Huh. That was easy…_she thought, smiling a bit before her face returned to a look of worry. _I sure hope he knows what he's doing…_

* * *

The doors slammed shut behind the panda as he stepped further into the hall. A large crash was heard and his eyes darted to its origin. Tigress stood in the center of the hall, whacking away at the wooden warriors. Several of them were completely destroyed and lay in a heap of broken wood and metal strewn across the floor.

Po's stomach clenched up as anxiety began to fill it, replacing the confidence he had come in with. He just realized he hadn't a clue what to say or where to begin. Nevertheless, he approached the tiger quietly and cautiously.

"T-Tigress?"

She didn't respond, not even bothering to turn around to acknowledge his presence. The panda gulped, moving closer into her peripheral.

"Tigress."

She still ignored him, focusing entirely on striking the wooden warrior before her. _Gods, what does he want now?_

He sighed. "We need to talk."

Conflicting emotions rose within the tiger, flowing through her and causing her to hesitate for a moment. She didn't dare drop her outward composure, but she soon found she had little control inwardly.

"No, we don't." she replied. _Yes, we do…_

"Please, Tigress…I just needed to say that…I'm sorry, I really am…I didn't realize…"

"Po, leave me alone." Her tone was growing intense, though the anger that clung to each word was feigned. _Go on…_

Po felt a sense of hopelessness wash over him. Was it really over? If she wasn't even willing to hear him out… _No, _he thought. _I won't quit. I won't give up._ Shifu's words rang through his head, pushing him forward.

He thought of how crazy he was for even thinking of doing it. Either that or he was dead. Or both. But he needed to get her attention, no matter what it took.

As the tiger wound up for another blow directed at the wooden dummy, Po shot his hand out and intercepted it.

Tigress' eyes widened before squinting, connecting with his as if to say 'challenge accepted.'

Both masters backed up into their ready stances and charged. It had begun.

Blows were delivered and deflected, hands and feet going every which-way as the two moved around the hall in a blur. Neither showed any signs of faltering; that is, until Tigress connected with a strong kick to Po's abdomen, sending him hurtling backwards and into the wall.

Sensing a lull in the action, Po stood up to dust himself off and spoke up.

"Tigress, please, give me a chance to speak…"

She stood in the ready stance, waiting for him to come back at her. But his words caused her to wince and look to the ground for a moment. "You…you had your chance…" she muttered under her breath. _Please, go on…please…_

"But…I need _another _one…" he advanced towards her slowly, trying to make as much of the time he had as he could. "I need to tell you how much I really care about you, Tigress…"

He sighed inwardly in relief when she dropped her stance and crossed her arms as she turned away from him.

"You don't care about me…why would you? I'm a _monster_, and that's all I'll ever be to _anyone…_" her voice was now slightly shaky, tears beginning to well up deep in her eyes. _Tell me how much you care…_

"Tigress…" Po almost scoffed at the notion that the woman before him, the woman he loved was anything close to a monster. "Why would I think that you're a _monster_-"

"Because I _break_ things! Whenever I lose control I just…_destroy_…" she sighed dejectedly and made her way over to a wall, crunching up in a ball next to it, head in her arms. _Tell me I'm wrong…convince me that I'm not…_

Po approached a heap in which a broken wooden dummy sat in, picking up a piece of wood and looking it over. "Tigress…"

The tiger lifted her head. He could see that tears were now running down her face.

"…when you break things, do you feel…_guilty…_about it?"

She frowned. "_Of course_ I do! I-" she stopped herself, slowly realizing what he was getting at.

"And _that's_ why you _aren't_ a monster." Po walked over to her side, tossing the piece of wood aside and sitting down beside her. He softly laid a hand on her shoulder and continued. "A monster destroys without any feeling or regret. The fact that you _do_ feel regret is the very reason you _aren't _a monster…"

Tears no longer filled the tiger's eyes. She just sat there, stunned; he had just, in one sentence, brought closure to one of her life's biggest obstacles. _He…he really does care…_

Po was now gently rubbing circles over her back. He saw that he was making progress. "…besides, you're _way_ too beautiful to be a monster…"

Her eyes widened, a smile creeping across her face as she turned to him and looked him in the eye.

Po realized that this was it. This was the moment in which he would tell her. The universe had granted him with a second chance, and there was no way in _hell_ that he was about to pass it up.

"Tigress…" he began.

She turned her head back to the ground, her smile disappearing as she sighed.

"I…I don't know, Po…I don't know if I could take it again…I don't know if I could take being hurt like that another time…" _Prove it to me…prove that you won't..._

"Tigress, I would _never, ever_ dream of hurting you _ever_ again..." He sighed and shook his head slightly. "...what happened last night...I didn't think I was ready, I didn't think it was the right time...but looking back, I see that there was no more perfect a time to tell you...that..." Po shifted further towards her and took her hands in his.

She turned her body towards him and looked at him through pleading eyes. _Say it…please, say it…_

It was now or never. The words finally came to him.

"…_I love you too. _I always have, and I always will."

A small gasp escaped her lips. She felt his hands tighten around hers.

"Oh, Po…" Tears of joy rather than sorrow now filled the tiger's eyes as she withdrew her hands and lunged forward, embracing him in a hug which he returned unreservedly.

The two sat there in each other's embrace for what felt like hours, noses buried in each other's fur taking in their lover's scent as their hearts finally beat as one.

Po scooped Tigress up in his arms, feeling a grumble in his stomach as he looked down into her eyes. He realized that they both still had yet to eat anything at all that day.

"So, how 'bout we grab somethin' to eat? Y'know, just the two of us?"

This time she spoke what was on her mind. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Po nodded. "Yep."

That one word was enough to make all the pain and suffering she had just been though worth it. Elation swept through her, her smile growing even wider as she replied.

"I'd like that."

* * *

**The end. There you have it, hope you guys liked this little story I cobbled together! Be sure to let me know if you found anything that I can improve on, I'm always about improvement :D**

**See you guys next time!**


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